Lipase‐assisted concentration of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in acylglycerols from marine oils

Abstract

AbstractPreparation of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrates from seal blubber oil (SBO) and menhaden oil (MHO) in the form of acylglycerols was carried out by hydrolysis with a number of commercial microbial lipases. The lipases tested were Aspergillus niger, Candida cylindracea (CC), Chromobacterium viscosum, Geotrichum candidum, Mucor miehei, Pseudomonas sp., Rhizopus oryzae, and Rhizopus niveus. After lipase‐assisted hydrolysis of oils, free fatty acids were removed, and fatty acid composition of the mixture containing mono‐, di‐, and triacylglycerols was determined. All lipases were effective in increasing the n‐3 PUFA content of the remaining acylglycerols of both SBO and MHO. The highest concentration of n‐3 PUFA was provided by CC lipase; 43.5% in SBO [9.75% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 8.61% docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and 24.0% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] and 44.1% in MHO (18.5% EPA, 3.62% DPA, and 17.3% DHA) after 40 h of hydrolysis. Thus, CC lipase appears to be most suitable for preparation of n‐3 PUFA in the acylglycerol form from marine oils.